Michael Woods (cyclist)

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Michael Woods
MikeWoods 2015TOA.jpg
Woods at the 2015 Tour of Alberta
Personal information
Full nameMichael Russell Woods[1]
NicknameWoodsy, Rusty[1]
Born (1986-10-12) 12 October 1986 (age 35)
East York, Ontario, Canada
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight64 kg (141 lb)[2]
Team information
Current teamIsrael–Premier Tech
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Amateur team
2012Stevens Racing[3]
Professional teams
2013Team Québecor Garneau[4]
2014Amore & Vita–Selle SMP[4]
20145-hour Energy[4]
2015Optum–Kelly Benefit Strategies
2016–2020Cannondale[5][6]
2021–Israel Start-Up Nation
Major wins
Grand Tours
Vuelta a España
2 individual stages (2018, 2020)

One-Day Races and Classics

Milano–Torino (2019)
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's road bicycle racing
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Innsbruck Road race

Michael Russell Woods (born 12 October 1986) is a Canadian racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Israel–Premier Tech.[7][8][9]

Career[]

Athletics career[]

Woods' first sport was ice hockey and his childhood ambition was to play as a left wing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.[2] Prior to becoming a cyclist, Woods was a promising middle-distance runner, setting Canadian national junior records in the mile and 3000 metres in 2005, as well as taking the gold medal in the 1500 metres at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships.[3] However, he suffered a recurring stress fracture in his left foot, exacerbated by excessive training and racing, resulting in his running his last race in 2007.[3][10] Woods underwent surgery twice in order to correct the problem without success. He took up cycling initially as cross-training before friends persuaded him to enter races.[3]

Woods was taught English at school by Paul Dewar, who was later elected as a Member of Parliament.[2] Woods attended the University of Michigan on a track athletic scholarship, graduating in 2008.[3] Whilst at Michigan, he was coached by Ron Warhurst.[11]

Cycling career[]

Woods began cycling professionally with Team Québecor Garneau in 2013.[12]

On 20 August 2015 it was announced that Woods would join Cannondale for the 2016 cycling season.[13]

In 2016, Woods was officially named in Canada's 2016 Olympic team.[14] Woods was also named in the start list for the 2017 Giro d'Italia.[15] He finished the 2017 Giro, his first grand tour, in 38th place, taking two fifth-place stage finishes along the way and helping teammate Pierre Rolland to win a stage.[16] Woods was later named in the start list for the 2017 Vuelta a España where he finished his second Grand Tour in 7th place, taking one third-place finish and five top-tens.[17]

In 2018, Woods scored what he described as "the best result of my career" by finishing second in the Liège–Bastogne–Liège race.[18] In September 2018, Woods won Stage 17 of the Vuelta a España, which finished up a steep climb to Balcón de Bizkaia.[19][20] On 30 September, Woods finished third in the road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. It was the first medal for Canada at the World Championships since Svein Tuft's silver medal in the time trial in 2008, and their first medal in the road race since Steve Bauer's bronze-medal performance in 1984.[21][22]

In July 2019, he was named in the startlist for the 2019 Tour de France.[23] In October 2019 he won the oldest classic race, the 100th edition of Milano–Torino.[24] In August 2020, it was announced that Woods was to join Israel Start-Up Nation from the 2021 season, on a three-year contract.[8] He represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics and finished in fifth place in the men's individual road race.[9]

Major results[]

2013
9th Overall Tour de Beauce
2014
4th Road race, National Road Championships
6th Overall Tour de Beauce
2015
1st Clássica Loulé
2nd Overall Tour of Utah
1st Stage 5
2nd Philadelphia International Cycling Classic
4th Overall Tour of the Gila
1st Stage 5
10th Overall Tour of Alberta
1st Jersey red.svg Canadian rider classification
2016
2nd Milano–Torino
5th Overall Tour Down Under
2017
2nd GP Miguel Induráin
7th Overall Vuelta a España
9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2018
1st Stage 17 Vuelta a España
2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
3rd Bronze medal blank.svg Road race, UCI Road World Championships
4th Giro dell'Emilia
4th Tre Valli Varesine
9th Overall Tour of Utah
2019
1st Milano–Torino
2nd Giro dell'Emilia
2nd Japan Cup
3rd Overall Herald Sun Tour
1st Stage 2
5th Giro di Lombardia
5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
6th Overall Volta a Catalunya
7th Overall Tour Down Under
8th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
9th Clásica de San Sebastián
10th Overall Tour de Romandie
2020
1st Stage 7 Vuelta a España
3rd La Flèche Wallonne
7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stage 3
2021
2nd Overall Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var
1st Stage 2
3rd Giro dell'Emilia
4th La Flèche Wallonne
5th Road race, Olympic Games
5th Overall Tour de Romandie
1st Stage 4
5th Overall Tour de Suisse
1st Jersey red.svg Mountains classification
5th Overall Tour of Britain
5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
5th Milano–Torino
9th Giro di Lombardia
Tour de France
Held Jersey polkadot.svg after Stage 14

Grand Tour general classification results timeline[]

Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
A pink jersey Giro d'Italia — 38 19 — — —
A yellow jersey Tour de France — — — 32 — DNF
A red jersey Vuelta a España — 7 34 — 34 —
Major stage race general classification results
Race 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Jersey yellow.svg Paris–Nice — 54 — — DNF —
Jersey blue.svg Tirreno–Adriatico — — — — 8 —
MaillotVolta.png Volta a Catalunya 18 37 79 6 NH 11
Jersey yellow.svg Tour of the Basque Country 53 12 29 — DNF
Jersey yellow.svg Tour de Romandie — — — 10 5
Jersey yellow-bluebar.svg Critérium du Dauphiné — — — DNF — —
Jersey yellow.svg Tour de Suisse — 26 — — NH 5

Classics results timeline[]

Monument 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Milan–San Remo — — — — 65 —
Tour of Flanders Has not contested during his career
Paris–Roubaix — — — — NH —
Liège–Bastogne–Liège — 9 2 5 7 5
Giro di Lombardia 31 — 13 5 29 9
Classic 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Amstel Gold Race — — 20 68 NH 32
La Flèche Wallonne 12 11 33 55 3 4
Clásica de San Sebastián 61 — — 9 NH —
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec 27 — — 17 Not held
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal 30 — — 8
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish
IP In progress
NH Not held

References[]

  1. ^ a b McMahon, Daniel (25 May 2017). "A sub-4-minute miler at age 18, Rusty Woods is now lighting up pro cycling at age 30". Business Insider. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Woods, Michael (13 October 2015). "Michael Woods: Letting the ink dry". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e Holder, Gord (28 August 2013). "Profile: Ottawa's Mike Woods' journey from runner to racing in the Tour of Alberta". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Michael Woods at Cycling Archives
  5. ^ "EF Education First Pro Cycling". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 2 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  6. ^ Bacon, Ellis (1 January 2020). "2020 Team Preview: EF Education First". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  7. ^ "Israel Start-Up Nation". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Top Canadian cyclist to join Israeli Tour de France team". The Times of Israel. The Times of Israel Ltd. Agence France-Presse. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Mike Woods". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  10. ^ Malach, Pat (3 March 2015). "Michael Woods: Turning running heartbreak into cycling success". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  11. ^ Woods, Michael (1 January 2016). "Michael Woods: Alone on a mountain top". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  12. ^ "Canadian cyclist Michael Woods among top 10 at Vuelta". Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  13. ^ "Cannondale-Garmin announces Mike Woods, former runner-turned-pro-cyclist, to join team in 2016". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  14. ^ Tozer, Jamie (29 June 2016). "Returning Olympians highlight Canada's cycling team". www.olympic.ca. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  15. ^ "2017: 100th Giro d'Italia: Start List". Pro Cycling Stats. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  16. ^ "A sub-4-minute miler at age 18, Rusty Woods is now lighting up pro cycling at age 30". Business Insider. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Michael Woods". www.procyclingstats.com.
  18. ^ Ryan, Barry (22 April 2018). "Jungels wins Liege-Bastogne-Liege". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Vuelta a Espana 2018: Simon Yates maintains overall classification lead". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  20. ^ "Michael Woods: How personal tragedy inspired Canadian cyclist's greatest success". 19 June 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  21. ^ "Mike Woods achieves rare Canadian cycling feat at road race worlds". CBC Sports. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  22. ^ Sturney, Rob (30 September 2018). "Rusty Woods bronze, Valverde gold in thrilling finale to Innsbruck 2018". Canadian Cycling Magazine. Gripped Publishing Inc. Retrieved 25 October 2021. It's Canada's first medal in the elite men's road race since Steve Bauer's bronze in Barcelona in 1984.
  23. ^ "2019: 106th Tour de France: Start List". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  24. ^ "Woods wins Milano-Torino". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 9 October 2019.

External links[]

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